Eva Cheng
The attacks on recently elected pro-worker parliamentarian Leung Kwok-Hung, commonly known as Long Hair, have continued, as has his defiance in the face of them.
A motion in the Legislative Council, Hong Kong's quasi parliament, for a minimum wage and maximum work week was defeated on October 13. The next day, Leung joined other protesters outside the legislative building to present a petition on the issue to Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-Hwa. Most protesters were confined to the official "protest area" metres away, but Leung, as a parliamentarian, has a right to be at the entrance. He tried to approach Tung with the petition on the other protesters' behalf but was forcibly pulled back by Tung's bodyguards.
Eventually able to enter and take up his seat, Leung demanded council chairperson Rita Fan take a formal ruling on the incident, because he had been prevented from attending a parliamentary session. Leung argued against Fan's decision to deal with it another time, prompting Fan to suspend the session for eight minutes. When the session resumed, Fan reminded Leung that clothing with political slogans was banned from the chamber . Leung's T-shirt was emblazoned with the demand: "Vindicate the June 4th incident [the 1989 massacre of students in Tiananmen, Beijing], return the rule to the people". Leung refused to cover the t-shirt, adding that the message was especially meant for Tung. Leung immediately asked whether Tung has registered the demand. Tung responded with a smile.
Leung was further reprimanded during a question-and-answer session for Tung, when he challenged an answer given without waiting for the call.
Another rule forbids parliamentarians to walk from one side of the legislative floor to the other during a formal session. After quizzing Tung, when the session was still underway, Leung did just that — walked across to the other side of the legislative chamber and handed the petition that he intended for Tung outside the building earlier, now passed to Tung's bodyguards within the chamber. Leung then left the legislative chamber altogether.
From Green Left Weekly, October 27, 2004.
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